Advice Request How to watch YouTube without being tracked by Google?

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HarborFront

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Hi

YouTube is owned by Google.

Whether you sign-in to YouTube or not watching videos will be tracked by Google.

So, anyone knows how to watch YouTube anonymously without being tracked by Google?

Too bad Vimeo and Metacafe don't have so many videos....

Thanks
 
best thing you can do is not sign in to youtube, use a VPN and just rip the videos out of youtube and download them to watch offline on your computer?
 
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Hanmin147 said:
best thing you can do is not sign in to youtube, use a VPN and just rip the videos out of youtube and download them to watch offline on your computer?
Click to expand...
Sure you can do it but it's a hassle if you want to watch many movies on a particular topic. VPN is good for hiding your IP address only.

Like I said sign-in or not to YouTube Google will track you.
 
Ready to lose 5 minutes
  1. Enable Do Not Track even if it doesn't do much
  2. Use Anti-Trackers like Ghostery or Abine Blur
  3. Do not sign into your Google or YouTube accounts
  4. Preferably use another Browser with no History, and do not use Google Chrome (duh!)
  5. Always Clear or Pause Watch and Search History (History - YouTube)
  6. Turn off Ad Personalisation (https://www.google.com/settings/u/0/ads/authenticated)
  7. Opt-out from Interest-based Ads (http://optout.networkadvertising.org/#/)
  8. Install (Google Analytics Opt-out Add-on (by Google)) for Chromium/based
You could try sites like (ViewPure / videos without clutter).

Remember without putting in the effort, you'll get nowhere, so stop being lazy and download the videos, if legal to do so. :)
 
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HarborFront said:
Like I said sign-in or not to YouTube Google will track you.
Click to expand...
Well, you are worried about YouTube, but what about the rest (maybe I've forgotten something else).

-Google search engine;
-Youtube;
-Gmail;
-Google+;
-Google Hangouts;
-Google Earth
-Google Maps;
-Google Calendar;
-Google Drive;
-Picasa;
-Google Android (all versions distributed with the most well-known devices, Nexus included);
-Google DNS;
-Google AdSense;
-Google AdWords;
-Google Analytics;
-Google Font;
-Google App Engine...
 
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HarborFront said:
Sure you can do it but it's a hassle if you want to watch many movies on a particular topic. VPN is good for hiding your IP address only.

Like I said sign-in or not to YouTube Google will track you.
Click to expand...

If you used a VPN they can only fingerprint your browser, but not know your true identity. On top of that after you have hidden your IP they will not be able to track you if you change your server everyday.

But obviously if you are using their service they will find a way to track you however big or small, if you don't want to be tracked simple don't use the service. If you want to use the service then you shouldn't mind being tracked. Nothing in the world is free, they have to earn money someway and this is a way where you don't have to pay and they don't lose out.
 
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Spawn said:
Ready to lose 5 minutes
  1. Enable Do Not Track even if it doesn't do much
  2. Use Anti-Trackers like Ghostery or Abine Blur
  3. Do not sign into your Google or YouTube accounts
  4. Preferably use another Browser with no History, and do not use Google Chrome (duh!)
  5. Always Clear or Pause Watch and Search History (History - YouTube)
  6. Turn off Ad Personalisation (https://www.google.com/settings/u/0/ads/authenticated)
  7. Opt-out from Interest-based Ads (http://optout.networkadvertising.org/#/)
  8. Install (Google Analytics Opt-out Add-on (by Google)) for Chromium/based
You could try sites like (ViewPure / videos without clutter).

Remember without putting in the effort, you'll get nowhere, so stop being lazy and download the videos, if legal to do so. :)
Click to expand...
  1. Enable Do Not Track even if it doesn't do much - Already enabled in my browser
  2. Use Anti-Trackers like Ghostery or Abine Blur - Using uBlock Origin, Avira Browser Safety and BitDefender TrafficLight
  3. Do not sign into your Google or YouTube accounts - Not signing in
  4. Preferably use another Browser with no History, and do not use Google Chrome (duh!) - Using Chromium with StartPage and running in Incognito mode ALWAYS
  5. Always Clear or Pause Watch and Search History (History - YouTube) - Not signing in so no history
  6. Turn off Ad Personalisation (https://www.google.com/settings/u/0/ads/authenticated) - Not using Gmail
  7. Opt-out from Interest-based Ads (http://optout.networkadvertising.org/#/) - Website blocked by uBlock Origin
  8. Install (Google Analytics Opt-out Add-on (by Google)) for Chromium/based - Handled by uBlock Origin, Avira Browser Safety and BitDefender TrafficLight

  10. As for that ViewPure Google Analytics has been detected and blocked. I copied and pasted a kitten video from YouTube, purified it but no video. Not sure blocked trackers play a part
 
Last edited:
Winter Soldier said:
Well, you are worried about YouTube, but what about the rest (maybe I've forgotten something else).

-Google search engine;
-Youtube;
-Gmail;
-Google+;
-Google Hangouts;
-Google Earth
-Google Maps;
-Google Calendar;
-Google Drive;
-Picasa;
-Google Android (all versions distributed with the most well-known devices, Nexus included);
-Google DNS;
-Google AdSense;
-Google AdWords;
-Google Analytics;
-Google Font;
-Google App Engine...
Click to expand...
I'm NOT using Gmail/Maps/Chrome/Search Engine/Drive/DNS/Translator/Earth etc etc because I'm moving away from it. I just emptied my mails and left the account there, similar to my Yahoo.

Except for this YouTube thing which I find it better than Vimeo and MetaCafe
 
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HarborFront said:
I'm NOT using Gmail/Maps/Chrome/Search Engine/Drive/DNS/Translator/Earth etc etc because I'm moving away from it. I just emptied my mails and left the account there, similar to my Yahoo.

Except for this Youtube thing which I find it better than Vimeo and MetaCafe
Click to expand...
Sure, you made your choice, but the meaning of my post was in a general context where we are constantly tracked, Google, Yahoo, MS, etc.
This is the price we have to pay.
 
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Winter Soldier said:
Sure, you made your choice, but the meaning of my post was in a general context where we are constantly tracked, Google, Yahoo, MS, etc.
This is the price we have to pay.
Click to expand...
If I sign-in to Google or Youtube I'll be tracked

If I don't sign in to YouTube there'll be no history of videos watched but I'll still be tracked by Google maybe from the browser side. So if I block e.g Google analytics, ajax.googleapis.com etc would that be sufficient to prevent me from being tracked unless I blocked the fingerprints with my ScriptSafe as well?
 
Last edited:
HarborFront said:
If I sign-in to Google or Youtube I'll be tracked

If I don't sign in to YouTube there'll be no history of videos watched but I'll still be tracked by Google maybe from the browser side. So if I block e.g Google analytics, ajax.googleapis.com etc would that be sufficient to prevent me from being tracked unless I blocked the fingerprints with my ScriptSafe as well?
Click to expand...
No idea, but I think Google will track you in official and unofficial way because this is its nature.
 
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Winter Soldier said:
No idea, but I think Google will track you in official and unofficial way because this is its nature.
Click to expand...
BTW, I just noticed my uBlock Origin, SafeScript and Avira Browser Safety are blocking google analytics and ajax.googleapis.com from this MT forum site. Is Google tracking me here?
 
lab34 said:
Hello,
just my grain of salt: Avira Browser Safety (and BD TL) knows every sites you visit. ;)
The same, with Chromium, if you have enabled Google Safe Browsing, Google knows...
Click to expand...
Google Safe Browsing disabled

Not so sure of Avira and BD. Even if they do so they don't cause damage as compared to Google with its interconnected devices and services
 
Spawn said:
Posted wrong link for 6. Use this (Ads Settings) - It's not for Gmail, fyi.

You have to Opt-out which will set the Cookie, I think that is how it works.
http://optout.networkadvertising.org

Don't forget your tinfoil hat, to stop Google hacking your brainwaves. :)
Click to expand...
My uBlock Origin blocks and shows

googleads.g.doubleclick.net is blocked

and

optout.networkadvertising.org is blocked
 
You could always use Tor or I2P to browse Youtube. I haven't used either for a good number of years so I can't tell you if Youtube will work on either service nowadays. Still might be worth a shot.
 
Yes I've read this blog about avira BS too. I don't know what kind of suspicious request he was looking for with fiddler, but, to do its job, Avira need to know the domain you are requesting. To display the shield on your search engine (not startpage) it needs to know your search results... and they know your ip, so...

But I agree: it's not a big deal. They don't know our email, my ip is changing every week... no problem, it was just a grain of salt. :)
The same for Google Safe Browsing.
 
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